ISTANBUL- Turkish Airlines’ flight from Istanbul Airport (IST) to Seattle Tacoma International Airport (SEA) is scheduled to return to Istanbul on December 25, 2024.
Turkish Airlines flight TK203 is making a precautionary landing due to technical concerns.
Turkish Airlines Seattle Flight
According to Hava Sosyla Medya, Turkish Airlines’ #TK203 flight from Istanbul to Seattle is returning to Istanbul owing to a technical problem. The incident involved an Airbus A350 with the registration TC-LGJ, which is 3.1 years old.
Furthermore, this is not an emergency, and technical complications may arise, therefore returning to the hub is a regular precaution to assure smooth operations on the return trip.
The flight will proceed with a different aircraft, causing a delay on the return TK204 Seattle-Istanbul trip.
According to Flight Radar 24 data, the Turkish Airlines flight departed Istanbul at 12:41 PM UTC. The journey from Istanbul to Seattle normally takes about 12 hours.
After being aloft for almost four hours and thirty minutes, the crew reported some technical concerns with the aircraft; the particular issue is unknown at this time.
At that point, the plane was flying toward Iceland’s northeast coast. The plane may have been redirected to Keflavík Airport (KEF), but if the technical issue is not catastrophic, they can return to base.
At the time of writing, the flight is anticipated to land at IST in a few minutes.
Similar Incidents
Turkish Airlines Flight TK1668 made an emergency landing at Hamburg Airport on July 6, 2023, after receiving a cargo compartment fire alert. The Airbus A321 had left Hamburg for Istanbul at 5:43 a.m.
The aircraft crew received a smoke or fire alert from cargo sensors shortly after takeoff. They quickly contacted air traffic control and began the return procedures to Hamburg Airport. The aircraft’s comparatively low fuel load allowed for a rapid return.
The trip from Hamburg to Istanbul covers 1,960 kilometers and was initially scheduled to arrive at 8:35 AM UTC. The emergency occurred during the flight’s early ascend phase.
FlightRadar24 data shows that the aircraft conducted a U-turn toward Hamburg following the alarm activation. The crew prioritized a quick return to safeguard passenger safety.
Similarly, Turkish Airlines’ Boeing 777-300ER made an emergency landing in Vienna in July 2024 when smoke emerged from a galley on a trip from Istanbul to Montreal.
After two hours and thirty minutes of flight, the cabin crew spotted smoke in one of the aircraft’s galleys. The flight crew contacted air traffic control as they reached Polish territory and diverted to Vienna, where Turkish Airlines has a frequent presence.
The airplane, registered TC-JJM, lost fuel near Vienna before successfully landing at 3:14 PM UTC. The 13.4-year-old Boeing 777-300ER, powered by GE90 engines, was inspected and maintained at Vienna Airport.
Turkish Airlines verified that the galley issue was quickly resolved following the safe landing. The airplane spent 17 hours in Vienna before returning to Istanbul to resume normal operations.